Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 636: Magic and Booze

Adamʼs heart skipped a beat and, for a moment, he seemed to forget how to even breathe. He couldnʼt help but loudly gulp, thinking to himself in alarm, So he does know…

He knows everything!

But before the youth could even reply, Professor Whitaker, who had resumed her work, suddenly shot up from her seat. ”What?!”

She quickly walked around her table and arrived beside the stoic Headmaster, ”What did you… say? He… met who?”

Seeing his old friend react in such a way, Blackwood couldnʼt help but lightly chuckle. The womanʼs reaction was understandable to him. ”Take a seat,” he said. ”This child will tell you.”

Professor Whitaker sat on the other high-back leather seat by the fireplace. Then, she intently looked at Adam and urged him to speak, ”Tell me what happened! How did you meet the First Headmaster?”

Within the walls of this castle, the existence of the First Headmaster was akin to a legend. Students and professors alike treated him no different than a deity. After all, he was the man who had built this castle and established the thriving city of Ravenfell.

Adam snapped out of his daze when he heard Professor Whitakerʼs eager voice. Seeing how certain Headmaster Blackwood was about his encounter with the First Headmaster, he knew that he had to tell the truth.

Although he knew that there was a high probability that Headmaster Blackwood would be aware of his involvement in the Raven Inheritance, it still came as a great shock to him that the man even knew that he met the remnant will of Saratoga.

”…Yes, I did meet him, or rather his remnant will.” Adam nodded. ”He appeared after I completed the final trial of the Raven Inheritance. Well, technically he made himself known during the final trial, but it wasnʼt until after that I came to know his true identity.”

”What was he like? What did he say to you?” Professor Whitaker shot a series of questions.

Her excitement and shock couldnʼt be hidden from her face. It was the first time she had heard that someone other than the current Headmaster had come face-to-face with the founder of Saratoga Castle.

Seeing the Professor react almost like a little child, Adam found himself momentarily speechless. But in hindsight, he thought that it made sense.

Dendar Saratoga was literally a god-like existence to anyone who resided within the walls of Saratoga Castle. Perhaps, the people of this arcane institution revered him more than they did the founding Emperor of Acadia.

Adam took a moment to gather his thoughts. He thought it would be better to show than tell this zealous old woman. He performed a simple hand seal and then proceeded to take out an ethereal white strand from the side of his temple.

Rank 1 Spell: Memory Strand!

”Here you go, Professor,” he said as he willed the string to float toward Professor Whitaker. It contained the youthʼs memory of the First Headmaster while he was still inside the illusion.

Professor Whitakerʼs breathing turned ragged as she infused the memory strand inside her head. She closed her eyes and began watching Adamʼs memories.

On the other hand, Headmaster Blackwoodʼs eyes narrowed into slits when he sensed the mana fluctuations from Adamʼs spell just a moment ago. Although he was greatly shocked, on the surface he remained expressionless.

”How old are you?” He suddenly asked.

Being spoken to by a mighty Rank 4 Magus, Adam involuntarily straightened his posture. ”My Lord, I will be 34 this year.”

”… I see,” said the old Headmaster in a flat tone.

Inwardly, he thought to himself in shock, Only in his thirties, yet heʼs just a step away from the Mana Vortex Rank! Incredible!

A level of power that would take Magi hundreds of years to reach is now being conquered by a boy in just a couple of decades…

At this point, it is no longer a matter of talent or magical resources that he might have consumed over the years. No, to be able to reach this stage in such little time could only mean one thing…

The boyʼs understanding of the arcane arts must truly be deep! To be precise, his comprehension of the Way must be so profound that it borders on the divine!

The Headmasterʼs train of thought was suddenly interrupted when Professor Whitaker finished watching the memory fragment.

”O Great Arcana!” She exclaimed. ”So this is what he truly looked like!”

”Professor, arenʼt there portraits of the First Headmaster within the castle?” Adam asked in puzzlement, not understanding why the woman would react this way.

Professor Whitaker cleared her throat, returning to her usual demeanor. ”You see, Adam, it has been a very, very long time since the First Headmaster passed away. The several portraits we have of him are all different from one another. So no one truly knows what he looked like.”

She cast a sideway glance at Headmaster Blackwood. She figured that only he knew the First Headmasterʼs true appearance. Until now that is.

”Headmaster, please permit me to build a grand statue of Lord Saratoga in the main square,” she said.

”Hmm.” Headmaster Blackwood nodded his head ever so slightly. He then shifted his attention back to Adam and asked, ”What did he say to you?”

Adam couldnʼt help but involuntarily gulp at the question. ”Nothing much, my lord. He asked me to help protect the castle should it face any calamity in the future.”

”Is that all?” Headmaster Blackwoodʼs eyes narrowed.

”Yes!” Adam hurriedly nodded. He was beginning to wonder if the man would now inquire about the treasures he found within the inheritance. If it truly came to that, he would have no other option but to speak the truth.

He probably already knows about the large treasure vault that Iʼve inherited, thought the youth. Damn it, is he going to ask me to part with it now? Such injustice! I cannot bear it!

Headmaster Blackwood deeply gazed at Adam for a long time, causing the latter to turn increasingly nervous.

Just when Adam thought that he would have to reveal the knowledge of the Raven Inheritanceʼs final reward, the Headmaster spoke to him, ”Very well, Magus Constantine, I expect you to stay true to your word.”

Adam was taken aback. ”Huh?” As he realized that what he feared the most hadnʼt come to pass, he hurriedly bowed in respect. ”Yes, Headmaster, I will stay true to my word!”

”Hmm.” Headmaster Blackwood nodded. ”You may leave.”

”Yes!” Adam turned around and deftly walked out of Professor Whitakerʼs office.

As the door to the office shut with a soft thud, Headmaster Blackwood leaned back in his chair and called out, ”Mathilda.”

”Yes, my lord?” Professor Whitaker politely responded.

Based on what he had surmised regarding Adam, the old Headmaster asked, ”What do you think about the boy being a candidate for the next Headmaster of Saratoga?”

”My Lord… what?” Professor Whitaker was visibly taken aback. She couldnʼt even begin to wonder just what would make the mighty Headmaster ask such a thing.

Could the fact that Adam successfully passed the Raven Inheritance hold so much weight? She thought to herself.

Considering the fact that Headmaster Blackwood was also someone who completed a Raven Inheritance in the past and received Saratogaʼs approval she felt that it was very likely.

Still, she couldnʼt help but ask, ”Is it related to him completing all the trials of the Raven Inheritance?”

”Mathilda.” Headmaster Blackwood turned his head and glanced at his old friend. ”The boy is half a step away from advancing to the Mana Vortex Rank.”

”What?!” Professor Whitaker was astonished. If it were any other person, she would have never believed it. Even if Adam himself claimed so, she wouldnʼt have believed him either.

But the fact that Headmaster Blackwood, a Mana Core Magus, had said so then it had to be the truth. Yet, she was still struggling to come to terms with this discovery.

”He… He is already at that level?!” She asked incredulously. ”Could it be because of the reward he found inside the inheritance? This… is simply unheard of!”

Headmaster Blackwood shook his head with a faint smile. ”No amount of external resources can allow a Magus to advance so rapidly.”

He paused for a moment before a chuckle escaped his lips. ”Besides, the final reward that he got inside the inheritance has nothing to do with the arcane arts. Itʼs just a vault filled with gold. Hmm, come to think of it, the boy might be even richer than you now, Mathilda.”

Professor Whitaker completely ignored the last statement and asked, ”My Lord, is Adam truly that close to the Mana Vortex Rank?!”

”Yes.” Headmaster Blackwood nodded. ”I believe heʼs waiting until after the Grand Magus Tournament to undergo his advancement.”

Ignoring the old ladyʼs stupefied expression, he continued, ”Now, tell me. Is he fit to be a candidate? You know him far better than I do.”

It took a long time for Professor Whitaker to come to her senses before she answered, ”No, my lord. As Iʼve told you before, that child has the spirit of a wanderer. He cannot stay in one place for too long.”

She paused for a moment before adding with a wry smile, ”Even if you somehow convince him to become the Headmaster in the future, Iʼm afraid heʼd be too buried in magic and… booze to be bothered about the responsibilities that come with the position.”

Headmaster Blackwood couldnʼt help but chuckle lightly at her response. ”The greatest minds are often the most peculiar.”

He got up from his chair and walked to the tall, arched window with his hands clasped behind his back. As he gazed at the snow falling outside, he couldnʼt help but feel sorry for the raven-haired prodigy.

It is truly a pity that a child as gifted as you was born on this planet, he thought.

In a world where you can advance no further than the Mana Core Rank, your brilliance will one day dim and eventually die out.

Oh, the tragedy of Magi like us who tread the path of the arcane. We are but comets—blazing brilliantly for a moment, only to fade into oblivion the next.